Yes... It is said that during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, the Uighur Kingdom in the Western Regions was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. Once, in order to show friendship to the Tang Dynasty, Huihe sent his envoy Mian Bogao to visit the king of Tang Dynasty with a batch of rare and rare treasures. Among these tributes, the most precious one is a rare bird - a white swan.
Mian Bogao was most worried about this white swan. If there was something wrong with it, how could he explain it to the king? Therefore, along the way, he personally provided water and food, and did not dare to neglect for a moment. On this day, Mian Bogao came to the Mianyang River and saw the white swan stretching its neck, opening its mouth, and panting laboriously. Mian Bogao couldn't bear it, so he opened the cage and brought the white swan to the water to let him drink. Had a great time. Unexpectedly, the white swan drank enough water, folded its neck, flapped its wings, and flew into the sky with a "flutter"! Mian Bogao pounced forward and only picked up a few feathers, but failed to catch the white swan. He watched it fly away without a trace. For a moment, Mian Bogao was stunned while holding a few snow-white goose feathers. He was in a daze, thinking about a question in his mind: "What should I do? Pay tribute? What should I bring to see Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty? Go back? How dare you go to see King Huihe!" After thinking about it, Mian Bogao decided to continue Heading east, he took out a piece of pure white silk, carefully wrapped the goose feathers, and wrote a poem on the silk: "The swans pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty, and the mountains are heavy and the road is farther. The treasure is lost in the Mianyang River, and the feeling of returning to He is hard to leave." . I sent a letter to the Emperor of Tang Dynasty to apologize to Mian Bogao for neglecting people and overestimating people. "
Mian Bogao took the jewels and goose feathers, wore the stars and the moon, and worked tirelessly, and soon arrived in Chang'an. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty met with Mian Bogao, who presented him with goose feathers. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty read the poem and listened to Mian Bogao's story. Instead of blaming him, he felt that Mian Bogao was loyal and honest and fulfilled his mission, so he rewarded him heavily.
Since then, the story of "goose feathers sent thousands of miles away is light on courtesy but heavy on affection" has been widely circulated, which is a metaphor that although the gift is meager, it contains deep friendship. For example, Huang Tingjian's poem "Long Sentences of Thanking Chen Yonghui for the Paper Presented by Wu Nanxiong" of the Song Dynasty: "A thousand miles of goose feathers are not light, and the miasma clothes are fishy and greasy for those returning from the north." Song Ouyang Xiu's poem "Mei Shengyu Sends Ginkgo Biloba" in "The Complete Works of Ouyang Xiu·Volume 5" "Quoted) "A goose feather is given thousands of miles away, but it is the person who is most important. Although a duck's feet are a hundred, they are sincere and precious. When I ask who got it, the poem is far away and poor. The frosty fields pluck the forest fruits, and the capital sends them new. Although the envelope is No matter how small it is, I pick it up with my own hands. When things are cheap, people are valuable. When people are good, they are regretful. Poems are used to express kindness.